Back on the hiking trail!

I'll be exhausted at work tomorrow, especially if the Red Sox game takes too long, but I was very happy to hit the hiking trails again. I hiked a loop similar to the Tuscaora Trail / Overall Run loop today, although I went down the Weddlewoods Trail before hitting the Heiskel Hollow Trail. Great hike, probably 9-10 miles, with some steep climbs. The waterfalls were barely visible or audible but I saw some good views of the Massanutten Range to the west.

Some other random things I saw:

- A Sunoco station that would not take cards, the first I've experienced
- A Questar? food stop that looked like it had some okay pork sandwiches
- I-66 was actually in decent shape until Reston, when it morphed into its usual bleep a hundred times over self
- A deer on the trail heading down from Skyline Drive
- About 18 dry streambeds
- A VA State trooper with his lights off in the same place in the mixing bowl they always are
- A medical helicopter, ambulance, and Warren County Cop car on US 340 South for some reason. Unknown, since there was no car wreck, another hiker saw it and wondered if someone in the hillside houses had a heart attack. They waved us through in under a minute so I wonder if it was a drill.
- There's not a lot to Front Royal, even if I didn't drive US 340 north through the whole town.

I'm hoping to get out hiking a couple more times this fall. We'll see how the calendar works out.

Colds are as irratating as hell - more hiking plans

While the current cold isn't near thsi one, it's still a PITA nonetheless. I ended up missing a group run this morning since my head was congested and my throat was bugging me, so I slept in for 11 hours since I was totally wiped out. Now I don't really have much of a cough, but I hate having to take it really easy so I can make good use of tomorrow, especially since daylight savings time ends on November 8.

Hey, Maryland's about to kick off vs Wake Forest! Hopefully Bill doesn't get into Express' blog Log for the third time since he won't have to rant since the Terps played better but this will be tough. I can watch that for a bit.

This cold is like most I get, weakens me just enough so I can't do what I want to do, but never makes me sick enough to make me sleep off an entire day. The latter is probably better for longer term health. But oh well. I'll take another nap today since if I actually want to stay up for tonight's Red Sox game I'll need it. Even on weekends, unless I'm out I'm hardly ever up past midnight and the game won't get over until at least then.

Besides, more sleep means I can actually take advantage of what's supposed to be the better of the two weekend days and get a hike in. I haven't figured out where I'm going yet but it will come in due time. Rock for the Terps! 7-0 early lead, Darius Heyward-Bey is the best player on the field, and they're getting him the ball!

Add TR Island to Fort Marcy trail run/hike to my planned adventures, this is next Saturday's project. A dry week of weather is expected and everyone who's been on this trail has told me it's real slick in wet weather, so I put this off one more week so it's real dry when I run on it.

I hope this cold is gone by next Sunday, since I'm going to Crystal City to cheer on my friends that are running the Marine Corps Marathon. A lot of us who aren't running are going to cheer those who are. It's the least I can do for the running community. But I don't want to give anyone my cold.

I must go and finally decide where I'm hiking tomorrow.

Sometimes you need a three day weeekend to recover from a three day weekend

Since I'm tired and sleepy, I'll run through what I did this three day weekend.

Friday night: went to the gym, then to Momo's on U Street in DC. Night before party for people like me who are fans of the United States National Soccer Team. Good time, got to see some of the Sox game too.

Saturday: woke up at 8:15, ate three pieces of toast and chugged a Powerade, barely making it to my friend's house for a ten mile run at 9. Finished the run, ate dinner, watched some football, and went to the World Cup Qualifier. USA is on to the final qualifying round in the CONCACAF region after pounding Cuba 6-1. Awesome seeing friends, tailgating for a bit, and seeing the win most importantly. Not even the pizza place off Potomac Avenue trying to charge us extra to sit down and eat put a damper on the night.

Sunday: woke up, chilled, went for a 2 hour plus trail run at Great Falls Park and Riverbend Park, VA. It was one of those times where I wanted to leave by a certain time, but got into a groove running and kept on going until I got tired. Then I walked back to my car and went towards home. I had a good time at Murphys on Sunday even though the Pats got their asses handed to them by the Chargers.

Monday: slept in, did little before going to the gym, then the Caps game. A 5-1 demolition of Vancouver, they were outshooting the Canucks 25-3 after two periods! Michael Nylander scored on a penalty shot and assisted on at least two goals, Alexander Semin had two sweet goals, and the Caps did this without getting much from Ovechkin at all, save for a couple of crushing hits. He had an off night and the Caps still dominated. A good sign for them going forward.

More future events, I want to get some hiking in this fall in the worst way. Some of the trips I plan to take are:

- Part of Ashby Gap to Chester Gap
- Sky Meadows State Park
- Harpers Ferry / Maryland Heights again
- White Oak Canyon link, link
- Old Rag Mountain
- The Priest Mountain

If anyone has any other suggestions for me to hike in the area, please leave comments, I'm always open to new trails.

Jon Lester Rules The World Once Again

I cannot stay up to watch baseball games that start at 10 pm on a weeknight. Not when a busy job calls the next morning. I fell asleep last night just after the Red Sox fell behind 1-0. After Jed Lowrie's error, I said to myself, tough break, I wasn't expecting them to win this series, I just hope that he doesn't let it get to him. Well, he led off the two run ninth inning with a single, so it didn't phase him. And Jon Freaking Lester! Clutch. Seven innings of one run baseball for the win. This kid just gets better and better, and has been the Sox' number one pitcher this season. Awesome start!

Tomorrow night is a 9:30 start and a late night, seeing as Dice K is starting (He's had a great year but he throws tons of pitches per inning) and playoff games have longer Tv timeouts, and it'll be 1:30 or late before the game ends. It's either Southside or home for me. And lots of sleeping on Saturday, seeing as I'm taking part in the Army Ten Miler on Sunday.

Go Red Sox! And Jon Lester rules the world.

Does it really feel like this area has already seen a year's average precipitation?

I honestly forget where I read this, and can't find it now, but an article somewhere said that at National Airport, where the official totals for DC are measured, a year's average precipitation of 38 inches has already fallen since January 1. I'm sorry but it doesn't seemed like we've seen that much rain this season. It was tougher for me to think of the 2-3 memorable thunderstorms and/or downpours that I've seen than in previous years. I remember the yellow and black sky above my work one afternoon, and the torrential storm that caused a three hour delay in the third attempt to play the D.C. united - Houston Dynamo match. But that's it. Nothing like the storm that I though was going to prevent me from driving the last mile home from Telegraph and Huntington.

I don't even remember all that many heavy rainstorms, maybe a series of them in July? Snow? Are you freaking kidding me? DC area peeps, have we really gotten that much rain this year? Is it ever going to snow here in the winter again?

Another Obliterated Personal Record, this time in a 10K!

Okay, this is my first year racing so it's almost a guarantee that Personal Records are going to fall. But I didn't expect my record in a 10K to fall by 3 minutes 39 seconds either. Heck that's a pitching change for some baseball teams (more on baseball later).

I had a goal today to break the 50 minute barrier for a 10K race. In the first annual Dash For Dad race for prostate cancer I broke the barrier with room to spare! Without having to crank it up with a near sprint at the end! Which was a good thing because I was very tired from
the race and crossing the Eisenhower Avenue bridge over Telegraph Road for the second time of the day. This bridge is nowhere near as long as the Navy Bridge was in Annapolis, but it's fairly steep for a benign-looking bridge on the east (start of race) side.

No drama with almost missing the race, needing a portable facility before the race, just a very fast (for me) pace throughout. I didn't really drop off pace-wise until maybe the very end, when I was really tired and knew I had run much faster than 50 minutes. Final chip time, 47:55, a 7:43 pace. I'm ecstatic with that! 3:39 off my previous best time at this distance! I finished 11th out of 33 male runners in my age group, 51st out of 195 male runners, and 57th out of 367 runners overall. Not bad for someone who only wins a race when everyone ahead of me gets disqualified! I rarely toot my own horn, but I'm proud of what I did today.

I'm not going to run as many races next year, I'm going to focus mostly on ones I really liked this year and races that raise funds for charity. The Dash for Dad stays on the list! I want to see if I can beat 47:55 next year!

Baseball note: Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers on making the playoffs for the first time since 1982! Ryan Braun's eighth inning home run gave the Brew Crew the lead, hitting it halfway to Green Bay in the process. Viva Brew Crew! Enjoy the ride.

Pictures Fixed!

Pictures fixed! Descriptions/titles to come as time allows.

Colorado Pictures are now up online!

COLORADO PICTURES! And yes, Charlotte Harris, they include a picture of the cheeseburger from My Brother's Bar! he he

NOTE: The pictures in their current form are smaller than they need to be. When I get home tonight I will edit them so they are bigger and more viewable. It's all part of a learning process.

Obliteration of a Personal Record (PR) - NOLA 5K

The New Orleans Rebirth 5K Run was this morning in Alexandria. I had also signed up for the ten mile training run beforehand but was legitimately too tired from the week to get up that early and run. Also, I am not a really fast runner, so if I had a couple bad miles at the start of the training run, I would be looking at cutting that short just to get to the race in time. As it turns out I had to hurry up just to get there, more on that later.

I did get about 9-10 miles of running in between the race and running to and from the race location. But, even with a bit of extra sleep, I was running really late to drive to Belle Haven Marina, where I was going to park because it would force me to run to and from the race. I went out of my house, started to drive there, then realized I had to turn around because I forgot my timing chip! Oops #1. Construction forcing me to go around and take another road. Oops #2. it's 8:21, I'm 3 miles or so from the race location, I better haul ass to get there. So here I am, eating a Clif bar while I'm running like mad to make sure I get there. Made it with 15 minutes to spare, stretched a bit, saw a lot of my friends from the running group, and decided to run this race hard.

Hard, as in I'm going to really push to get a great time, instead of running it for fun. I got into the competitive mood after running pretty hard to get to the race: fear of missing the start time, especially for a 5K, is a great motivator!!! So the race starts on a flat stretch of road that I had run south to north plenty of time, this was the other way around. I know I was passing a lot of people, but when I got to mile marker 1, I was under 7:30 in "crossed sensor mat, started watch" time, which is really fast for me. After cruising up the short hill just aftwerwards, I decided to go for broke and try for a personal record.

Did I get it? I got some water at mile 2, a friend from the Fun Run group was handing some out (I will be returning the favor in many events in a couple months). I'm hauling still, with no letup at all pace-wise. That was really encouraging since I have sagged in that aspect in some races, hello W&OD Trail 10K! I looked at my watch as mile marker 3 approached and realized that unless I tore a hamstring, which was slightly tight to tell you the truth, the personal record was mine! It was just a matter of how much I would break it by.

I didn't go into quite a sprint at the end, but I did pick up my pace. I crossed the finish line in just over 24:00, which would be a PR. My estimated sensor to sensor time was 23:12, 1:23 better than my previous record! I was estatic, especially to set it in a race to benefit New Orleans. I finished the day by running back to my car at Belle Haven, joining many of the people from Fun Run group who were getting in extra training miles.

I'm happy with my day. But it's gorgeous out, it's 4:10 pm, so I'm going to head back outside and walk around somewhere, if not run again.

Sometimes you gain by not winning the game

I babbled about whether or not winning is beneficial in certain circumstances three years ago. While Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart are still somewhat unproven in the NFL, there are two franchises in a different sport that IMHO gain by losing this weekend. Two of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals, are playing this weekend. Last night, the Padres won to move one game ahead of the Nationals in the standings. Why should anyone care? Heck, Bill commented in another online forum:

"If 500 people are left in attendance they ought to be given something for having nothing better to do than to sit through this." The Padres had just taken the lead in the 14th inning when he wrote that.

Why? Because Stephen Strasburg, a college pitcher with a 100 mph fastball and a better curveball (his best pitch!) is available to be drafted by the team who ends up with the worst record in baseball. The Seattle Mariners have the inside track right now, they are one half game "behind" the Nationals, and have the play a series against the Angels next week. Yeah, I think both the Padres and Nationals would gain more by losing their remaining games, a lot more. We'll worry about the fact that Scott Boras will be Strasburg's agent when the time comes. That won't be an issue if Seattle has the top pick.

Why do I keep losing stuff?

If someone asks me what one of my weaknesses is, it's a simple answer if I'm not in an interview situation: I keep losing things for no apparent reason. I think I need two hands to count how many Smartrip cards I've lost in the past two years. Not only that, but I've lost them in every way conceivable: Fell out of my pocket while I was riding my bike, sitting down in the Rosslyn CVS re-organizing stuff in my wallet/Camelback (I was returning from running the Georgetown steps). There's more, one fell out of my bag when I was on the shuttle bus to Metro, I realized it was gone after the shuttle was already gone, and by the time I called the complex it was already gone, not to be returned. I lost another one by some method that I forget. I've lost one fob since my complex introduced them in March. And after my first race in March, I lost my car keys.

If anyone sees this, do you lose stuff all the time too?

Prayers for Galveston

I'm not religious at all, but I think I need to say a prayer for Galveston, Texas tonight and tomorrow. CNN just reported that residents in one and two story homes are facing "certain death" if they do not evacuate. Sounds like this could really be 1900 all over again. Please, whatever lord you worship, let's hope not.

Stay safe and sound, Texas

Thinking of Texas, stay safe.

If you're a Patriots fan, you may want to read this

I know the blog title is a bit cumbersome, but calling it jeffinalexandria wouldn't really differentiate it from other Jeffs and blogs now would it? http://patsblogfromalexandriava.blogspot.com is my little blog about the New England Patriots, who I will never abandon. I was on the bandwagon for the 2-14 and 1-15 seasons of 20-25 years ago and aren't jumping off just because Brady's out for the season.

Colorado Trip - Report 5 - My Best Pikes Peak Challenge Yet

Okay so I'm back in VA, back at a computer. Here's Part 5 of my trip. Friday involved driving down to Colorado Springs for the hike. After my struggles to find a bank or just an ATM near the US Olympic Center, where the pre-hike rally was, I was finally able to get my pledges for the hike in and was ready to go. There was a really inspiring presentation by one of the people helped by the BIAC. She suffered a tremendous brain injury during the Salt Lake City tornado of 1999, and still suffers from disabilities from it to this day. She is not deterred from rehab though, and has downhill skied and participated in yesterday's hike.

Before going to the rally, I checked into my hotel in Manitou Springs and got to walk around a little bit. With all the hills and inclines in the town, if I lived there I would be twenty pounds down beyond what I've already lost this year!!!! A great, funky little town, with lots of cool shops, t shirt shops that aren't tacky, a great pizza place called Marylin's (named after Monroe) with an old school cassette deck boombox for the music. And an old school arcade to boot. Dig Dug and Donkey Kong are great ways to kill a half hour on a cloudy day while waiting for check in time. Pictures of Manitou to come.

The hike: All that running I've done in the blast furnace of VA/DC/MD? Even if the hills are small, but often one after another? Paid off. Big Time! Made it to Barr Camp, 7 miles out of 13, in exactly 3 hours hiking time. The next 6 miles are steeper for the most part and at higher altitude. in previous years, it would take me 5 hours or more for this stretch? This year? 3 hours 35 minutes not counting eating/discussion with other hikers breaks. 6 hours 35 minutes total hiking time, nearly, if not more than 2 hours faster than two years ago! The last mile only took me 40 minutes, from mile 12-13 35 minutes! I'm no super fast hiker by any means, but in previous editions of this hike I would take ten steps and have to stop once I got to the last few miles. Not this year. In fact, the one stretch where I was feeling tired came from mile 9 or so to the A Frame treeline shelter. To top it all off, my legs didn't feel heavy at all when I got to the summit. I was tired of course, but a lot more tired after my near 15 mile run at sea level 10 days or so ago.

The cause: Benefiting brain injury research and prevention is something that is very important to me. I've been fortunate not to have suffered one, but know others who have had these injuries. I also work at an agency that works with a lot of returning service personnel with brain injuries and helps them transition into civilian life should they leave the service and/or are getting ready to leave. Hearing about how Pikes Peak Challenge hike participants take part in the grueling hike and other physical challenges inspire me to no end. After hearing about how brave they are to take part after dealing with injuries far beyond what I have ever suffered: yeah, I ain't gonna bitch if my foot hurts or I twist my ankle, or even have a stomachache. Anything I have had to come back from has been extremely relatively minor. I am very happy that the money I raised went to help those who have suffered brain injuries.

The return trip home: locals, please don't get upset with me for what I'm about to say. I did not want to get on the plane to DFW and then to DC today. I realized how much I missed being out west. But I will move forward, back to work tomorrow, spin class on Monday, running on Tuesday, Thursday, and whenver else I fit running in. Back to humidity I guess.

Colorado Trip - Report 4 - glaciers and good times

A bit less total hiking yesterday, most of it near St. Mary's Glacier, near Idaho Springs. I climbed up most of the way to the top of the ice field (it's not really a glacier since it's stationery) off the rocks to the side, but did not go to the top since I really didn't want to twist an ankle going down two days before the big hike.

After a brief visit to the town of Alice, no restaurant there, I ate lunch in Idaho Springs. Then I decided to go to Central City for a bit. Since my rental company gave me a Suzuki SUV (which I normally would NEVER drive but it was my best option), I figured I'd try Virginia Canyon Road, County Road 279, Prospectors Highway, but the unofficial name is Oh My God Road. Well, it's called that for a reason. That used to be the only way to get from the two cities. I chickened out after the first two miles and turned around and went back down another road. It's even scarier going from Central City to Idaho Springs from what I gather.

The link above described the Central City casinos as decrepit. I respectfully disagree. Black Hawk, just down the road, is a lot more spiffy, with facy looking parking garage, newer brick buildings, but notice the new brick buildings. Central City is an old mining city with a lot of cool victorian houses and has a feel of an old town trying to revitalize itself. They even have an opera house. Black Hawk's too new for me.

I rarely gamble but decided to stop in Doc Holliday's Casino to play a couple slots for fun. I only lost $1 gambling in very low stakes slots, and even that was more of a goodwill gesture loss at a slot machine that I had no clue how to play since they found my apartment key that I dropped while reaching for my money. Great staff, they even offered me a drink even though I played slots for less than 5 minutes. I respectfully declined since I had to drive home.

I met up with some more friends at the British Bulldog Pub in Denver. Enjoyed a couple stout beers, some food, and we watched a soccer match, the Colorado Rapids beat FC Dallas 1-0 on a perfectly executed corner kick. Good times all around, I head down to Colorado Springs in about an hour for the grand finale of the trip. I DO NOT WANT to go back to VA right now.

Colorado Trip - Report 3 - DNS = Did Not Summit

Two hours into my hike I started asking myself did I really want to push forward 45-60 more minutes, when I was meeting friends later that afternoon? When I started asking myself that, I answered my own question. I turned around after 2 hours, still happy with the climb and with the very limited if any effects of being at 11,500 to 13,700 or so feet above sea level. Guanella Pass is as mind-numbingly beautiful as ever (more pictures), I got down to the parking lot before the weather got dicey, and the Burgers at My Brother's Bar are as great as ever. I took part in the new DC rage of taking pictures of burgers before eating them, and I will add that to the picture library.

Tomorrow's a light hike before meeting up with people in the city. Should be fun.

Colorado Trip - Report 2 - some old favorites

None of the people I was going to meet up with this week are free tonight so I'm going to pass out in a few minutes. Before that, I hiked two old favorite local to Denver mountains today. Mount Morrison is just above quite possibly the greatest place on earth, Red Rocks. The first link is the best description of the trail I can find online, although the barbed wire fence isn't there anymore. This was a tough one hour climb, with more scrambling on rocks than I am comfortable with. But oh well, it was easier for me physically than it was on Thanksgiving Day 2005 when I climbed it last. Yeah, running a lot in the Old Dominioven helps with conditioning.

The way down, let's say I continued my tradition of losing the path, and having to slide down half the mountain on my butt to avoid stumbling, or worse, kicking over rocks that will fall a lot. Fortunately this is the only trail where I was always lose the path. I snapped a few photos that will come soon to a Flickr site near you. Including one of me snapped by a young lady who moved to Colorado from New Jersey and never wants to go back. Heck, can I move back to Colorado?

The second hike of the day was a five minute drive south of Red Rocks at Mount Falcon Open Space Park. I went up and down the Castle Trail with a side trip to the Walker ruins, which was intended to be a Summer White House. Good, quick hike that took just over two hours if you take away the lunch time, 5.6 miles in all.

I must go pass out now at 8:30 after a short swim in the hotel pool if I want to get up early enough to attempt a 14er, Mount Bierstadt. If I don't get up early enough, there are oh about 150,000 other trails I can hike. As long as I keep with the plan to go higher in altitude with each day, and I'm back in town by 4 pm to meet up with friends. It all depends on when I wake up, I'm doing my best to go with the flow and not over-plan and force myself to adhere to an exact schedule like living in DC forces you to over half the time.

Colorado Trip - Report 1 - real back roads

SuperShuttle got me there just after 7:30 am, tons of time to spare, flight to Colorado Springs via DFW uneventful. As was getting the rental car. I start driving up into the mountains on US 24, since I decided to take the slow, scenic route to Denver, and I'm already tempted to get out the boots and start hiking. But I decided after 9 hours in/on terminals/plane/rental car lines I'm not going to do that. I did walk around a small town called Green Mountain Falls for a bit, but I did miss the Kermit the Frog Mountain on 24 west. Walked a short road and pedestrian only road to get a limited view of the falls themselves, but had neither time nor hiking shoes to start hiking up the mountain. So on to Woodland Park I went, where I found a City Market to get some bread to make sandwiches for this week's hikes, and some disposable cameras. I took several pictures of an awesome shot of Pikes Peak that I will share when I get back to VA and have them developed.

After leaving Woodland Park, I took Colorado Route 67 north to the tiny town of Deckers. And I mean tiny, a couple houses, one bar, and ice cream shop. Before I got there, I drove through a good part of the site of the Hayman Fire, which was so large and vicious it turned the sky in Aurora, CO, at least miles away, near black at 4 pm the first day it really spread. Six years later, you can still see how the reforestation process is just beginning.

At Deckers, I took a right towards Sedalia then stayed on the road towards US 285. South Platte River Road became North Platte River Road (unpaved) then South Platte River Road (unpaved). This was a real, real, unpaved, narrow back road that followed the South Platte River but went on forever. I passed about 20 camping spots and portable bathrooms. This would be a great road to go 4 wheeling and/or mountain biking on, driving, not so much. But it feels great to be out in Colorado again, and was awesome to be in the mountains, even if I don't start hiking until tomorrow. I even got a shot of the old South Platte Hotel where the north and south forks of the South Platte River meet. Read more about this wonderful river. The hotel was an old railroad hostel, and I have a picture where it's not flooded. When I get back to VA, right now I'm tired and need sleep.

Thinking of the Gulf Coast

We're all thinking of you as Gustav approaches. Stay safe and sound.

The Human Race in Arlington

A couple of people from the Fun Runs out of Pacers Running Stores in Alexandria showed up to run the same run as I did. There were 20-25 people total, Pacers did a fantastic job putting this together. Running through the small but numerous hills of Arlington was a challenge but I'm glad I did it. Not a great time should the race had been timed, but considering I walked a little of the course because of cramps, it's all good. Yup, the Custis bike/running trail is one small hill after another.

Trail run in Great Falls - good but tiring

I went on a trail run of about 75-80 minutes through Great Falls Park, as well as not only the Difficult Run Trail outside the park but a private horse trail that I didn't know was private until I reached the end. The "owner" really needs to put the Private sign on the Old Dominion Road side of the trail if he/she doesn't want people doing what I did (unintentionally of course). Hiked the mile or two back to my car since I was tired, happy with what I ran especially after yesterday's run.

All and all a good day. One of the reasons why I pay $59.99 a month for an all clubs (35 in the area) membership at Gold's Gym is, well I can use tons of them. There was one on my way to do some shopping, in South Arlington. So I decided to ride the bike for a bit to get the lactic acid out of my legs, and do some abdominal work. South Arlington Gold's, you have big TVs in the cardio area, big plus. You are lacking in abdominal equipment though. However, I was very pleased to find out I'm even lighter than I thought. I had drank a bunch of water after my run to re-hydrate, but weighed in at 25-28 pounds less than I was on January 1. The lightest I've weighed in at in a long time, maybe since college! Of course I probably added a pound or two after dinner at Don Pablo's but I could have done worse food wise and a slight weight gain happens after dinner.

Tonight it's pack for Colorado and watch a little college football. Every year I tell myself I'm going to jettison my cable television. Then football season starts.

I may be officially insane - almost 15 miles last night

I used some comp time to leave work early yesterday since I will be too busy to use it when I return from Colorado. Not that work isn't always busy but there's more going on than ever. I decided to go on a nice long run, probably longer than I had ever run before. With the half marathon coming up, I decided it was time to push myself. I decided to run from Belle Haven to Mount Vernon on the Mount Vernon Trail. That's right, close to 15 miles, it's about .3 miles or so, maybe a bit longer to the mile 7 marker. I went all the way up to mile zero and back. And up it is. No real steep hills, but the descriptions that describe the trail as flat aren't being totally accurate. Lots of small climbs involved. It took me longer to run the we'll say 14.5 miles than I thought it would, seeing as it wasn't hot but quite humid, and I wasn't in a hurry.

I finished the run between 14.5 and 15 miles, could have run a bit more to make it 15 but I said screw it, I've run enough and my legs got heavy 4 miles ago. Longest run of my life, so I was glad it was over. I know I can push myself more and more without being insane. Or did I say I was insane already? I'm going to go for a nice little trail run in Great Falls Park, on the VA side and use my pass, still not willing to deal with the crowds on the MD side. Parking shouldn't be an issue as I imaging a lot of people got out of town even with gas prices being so high. Sunday is the Nike Human Race 10K in Arlington, we'll that's a fun run and a chance to meet some new folks. I may have to pass on a Sunday night party since I have to leave for the Metro at 7 am to go to the airport Monday.

9:50 am - this time next week, at 7:50 am, I will be somewhere around Barr Camp, halfway up Pikes Peak, as part of the Pikes Peak Challenge. Life is good.

Well, Axl Rose, if it hadn't taken you over 10 years to get this out...........

Then maybe no one would have felt the need to try to pull the Napster of this late decade. Are we going to see this Chinese Democracy album or real democracy in China first? The jury's still out. BTW, if you think Metallica's last few albums have sucked, Listen to this, it definitely does not suck. This song is on tap for tomorrow night.

Annapolis 10 Miler - Completed and HIGHLY recommended

Before I talk about the race itself, I'll talk about what could have been. I was running later than I thought I would in terms of getting up to Annapolis, and to boot I thought I was ready to go but forgot my sunglasses. A five minute delay caused by me going back to get them could have saved me a lot of headaches as it turned out. I was delayed a bit on the Beltway by a nasty car wreck that required multiple ambulances and police cars. Had I not had that last delay I would have been right in that area where the wreck happened. Whew!

They had a running expo where I picked up my registration packet, picked up some running tights for cooler temps for 1/3 of what they normally cost. Also picked up a couple of Under Armour tops for cheap and a pair of Adidas running shoes for $30, continuing my mantra of if you get them for ridiculously cheap get them and save them for later. Hotel was okay but breakfast started at 7, race starts at 7:45. Damn. Had to drive out to Giant to get some bananas, gotta have the potassium.

Race morning, other than the traffic to Navy Marine Corps Stadium (which is smaller than I figured it would be but I think they took out seats in one of the end zones - the seats look like they're on top of the action though) everything went well. I decided to take it as more of an experimental race since a ten miler is a new distance for me, there were lots of hills, and I was trying out a new running belt that holds small water bottles.

Well, I lost about 3 minutes or so because I had to fix stuff with the belt and shorts (just like Rockville) but that was cool. The hills weren't ridiculously steep save for a small one after crossing the Navy Bridge into Severn, but there were a lot of them. Not to mention crossing the same bridge twice, followed by an uphill stretch at mile 9 that we didn't run down on the way there. The final rough count: 1 hour 37 minutes 10 seconds. Not a great pace for me by any means, but it was the longest race for me yet, and as I said earlier, it was an experiment just as much as it was a race. Keeping in mind the time I lost, the hills, and the fairly high humidity, and I was pleased with the day. My legs didn't start to feel heavy until mile 8 or so, good sign. I was able to run harder than I had been towards the finish line to finish strong, another good sign.

I definitely recommend this race to people. There are reasons why the 5,500 participant limit fills up in barely over a week, if that. It's a very professional operation with tons of water stops. And there were plenty of neighbors who squirted us with hoses (and the runoff water all seemed to go downslope somewhere for re-use!). I love the running jacket I got as a premium for finishing too! The city's also pleasant, reminded me of a smaller Old Town Alexandria with Boston-style, not straight, cobblestone streets. Tons of people there, no shortage of places to eat. A worthwhile weekend for sure.

Tough Hills Right Across From Belle Haven Country Club

Ticked off that you can't afford to, or have no desire to go become a member of Belle Haven Country Club? Have no fear, come run the hills across Fort Hunt Road with me! Come on, all six of them so you can suffer with me! Here is a map of the area, which is just east of Richmond Highway (Route 1). I cross Richmond Highway, which requires care, caution, and waiting for the walk light. You can park at the parking area off the GW Parkway and run up Belle Haven Road to Fort Run. In fact Belle Haven is one of the hills.

It's a Six Hill Course that I call the Suffering Six. You run up and down each one. Run them in any order, but considering I'm coming from the west, I usually go:

1. Woodmont - the small circle where it meets Hunting Cove and Vernon is the end of the hill, probably the longest of the six.

2. Hunting Cove - a steep but short one.

3. Edgehill - see #2.

4. Glen / Summit - run up one side of the Y shaped confluence of roads, turn on the straight road then run down the other side.

5. Belle Haven - probably the steepest, run it up to Radcliff where the hill ends.

6. Windsor - the grand finale, run to the intersection with Olmi Landrith Drive. Instead of running down Windsor, you can substitute continuing on Windsor, take a right on Tally Ho, then run up Foxcroft.

You've earned that beer and dinner after running these hills. Don't believe me? Run them with me. It won't be a fast run, but it will be a tough, demanding, hills workout that you'll be glad you did when you're done.

Latest Personal Running Tour: Shaw, Howard University, and Georgia Avenue

After zig zagging through the National Mall and Chinatown, I decided to run up 6th Street instead of past the Convention Center on 7th. I got to run through parts of the historic Shaw Neighborhood (great old school row houses), the east side of the U Street Corridor (lots of newly redone row houses), Howard University (attractive campus I must say and a great school), the Children's Medical Center Complex, and then up Georgia Avenue, where I went into the Petworth Metro Station and promptly fell asleep on the train back to the gym. Yay being over-tired!

Future races on the docket:

Annapolis Ten Miler
Army Ten Miler
Richmond Half Marathon

Pikes Peak Hike in 3 Weeks

Looking forward to my first visit to Annapolis and my second to Richmond. There are some other races I will be running in, I'll post about them as I sign up. I'm also thinking of making this pretty much a running blog with some forays into hiking. I've been running steadily since December of 2006 and am now hooked like I was on skiing in Colorado. Some days I feel like I'm getting better, some days I don't. But I'm down close to 20 pounds since January 1, and will run my ass off in the late calendar year to prevent the late year weight gain.

However, after the half marathon, I'm going to stop racing for 3-4 months and volunteer at some races instead. The running community has given a ton to me in my brief time in it, so I want to give something back.

Vacation's over, back in Alexandria

Vacation with friends and family was a wonderful experience. Friday night I met up with my two closet friends from high school. Awesome to get together with them at the 99 Restaurant in Lowell, MA. Cool to find out that they are into NY State, PA, and NJ now since the food's always good, the popcorn is always plentiful, and whenever I've had beer there (I did not on Friday) it's kicked butt. Just beware the Charlestown location has had some shady activities happen on the premises. :D (not by staff). The important thing was catching up with my buddies, both of them are new fathers. WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!

From Saturday through today I spent my time in Ossipee Lake, NH and Eliot, ME. I have three nephews, aged 14, 12, and 7. The youngest had his birthday party on Sunday in Maine. Good times all around, got to see all three of them kneeboard, water ski, and/or tube, questionable weather or not. I got my running in too, including at least a 9 mile run that included a run into the Ossipee Mountains. I found a road that would take me halfway up the mountain to a place I'd never been even if I had spent a lot of 15 plus summers at Ossipee Lake. Steep climb, check. 90 minutes plus run, check. Great view of a mountainside over a pond, all enclosed in fog, I wish I had a camera since I never get to places like that anymore. Check.

Cool times with family, who were thrilled to see me. Double check. The only drawback was I left my blue Asics hat in New Hampshire. Ah, I'll get it mailed to me. I got to go to the ice cream place we always went to too, one scoop there = three everywhere else. Great times. Now back to work.

First trip up hills of neighboorhood of youth in at least ten years

It's probably been closer to fifteen years since I went up to some of the hills up the street from where I grew up. These hills were on streets in Dracut, MA (see the roads just north of Thompson Lane and close to Whortle-Berry Hill. I'm a better runner and more fit than I was for most of my childhood so I was interested to find out if the hills I used to think were tough to pedal a bike up were still daunting. Nope, like speed bumps, most of the streets hadn't changed at all.

When I went into the State Forest I came up to a trail junction right after I got off one of the paved residential roads. I thought to myself, uum I know they've built houses since I left Dracut but this is awfully close for the trails to meet up. Oh crap, the old pond I used to get in trouble for skating on in the winter is right in front of me! I used to remember hiking in a short bit to get there. The trail and unpaved road I ran on in the forest was quite steep so I got my hills workout in.

Not looking forward to seeing the pond I described above should I go for another run tomorrow before heading up to Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire for a couple days with my family. It was a lot smaller than I remember and much, much dirtier. Nothing more than a tan-brown breeding ground for mosquitoes now. I remember the water and ground being a very dark color.

Looking forward to meeting up with my two closest friends from high school in a couple hours. It's been fun so far, now I'm just chilling out a bit.

Dear Brett Favre,

I wanted to take a moment in my busy schedule to welcome you to your new surroundings. Heck, I wanted to do this so much I am going on four hours of sleep instead of six when I have a 7 am flight to catch......because I really want to do this. See, you need to be welcomed into your new world a.k.a. as AFC East. This is a far different world than you are used to in near-tropical Mississippi of the Frozen Tundera of Lambeau Field. So I wanted to welcome you.

Out of the kindness of my heart, I will present you with a brief overview of the occupants of your new hood. That or I want to punish you and the media for creating a 40 day opera out of your garbage way to get out of Sconnie, I forget which. We'll start with Miami. Don Johnson is no longer the King Johnson, Dwayne is. Mercury Morris is still a cokehead who needs to get his ass whooped but he doesn't play defensive back so you don't need to worry about him. Jason Taylor's dancin' in Washington, so you will have pulled this I quit / not I don't quit crap three more times before the Dolphins are even back to mediocre.

Buffalo, a city on a nice big lake. Maybe a bit like your old friends Detroit. But you see Brett, we don't play nice in the northeast like they do in the midwest. You won't get greeted by Viking Mascots, Cheesheads, or other polite midwesterners. If you're fortunate, they'll stick to snowballs. 20 degrees and 40 miles per hour winds are not as pleasant when the home crowd doesn't worship you, so I thought i would let you know because you're in a good mood.

Your new home fans will call you Broadway Brett, Brett. Until you throw five intereceptions in a game. Then they will give you a more traditional New York / New Jersey salute, you know the one where you think they've lost four fingers. You like to improvise on the football field. But guess what Brett, your c-list actor doughboy coach does not. He is systematic. And he knows defense, I'll give him that. But offense isn't his thing, and he's the boss. And you're under a far less forgiving microscope know, but we've discussed that.

Finally the last team and neighboor in your new hood. New England Patriots. No team plays less nice than ours. I'm tired of writing this welcome letter, so let's get right to the point. September 14 and November 13, your sorry ass is ours. And no we're not helping you find the southern fried Wisconsin Cheese sticks. Welcome to hell.

Best weather day of the summer so I took a running tour of DC

Sometimes I like to take my own running tours of DC. Seeing as I need the exercise, the mileage to train for fall races, and there's lots of parts of DC I haven't been to yet, there you go. First Stop: Exorcist Steps. I start at the top of the steps, head east two blocks to 34th St, down the hill and past Georgetown Running Company, west on M Street past Dixie Liquors, then a sprint up the steps. That's a lap. I made that lap 12 TIMES today!!!! That's 3 more than I ever had done before. That fired me up to get 12 done. I probably could have had a couple more but I knew I was running a bit later on and didn't want my legs to turn into collapseable rubber.

Second Stop: C&O towpath up to Fletchers Boathouse. Walked a bit up towards the boathouse, made some phone calls, ran the last mile and a half. Now, I promise I'm not a yuppie scumbag who screams into his cell phone at all times to let the world know where I am. I needed to contact my two closest friends from my hometown to get in touch with them for plans for this weekend. I'll be home in New England for the weekend, and both have children under one. So these were actually important calls. I walked on the less populated, dirt and rock, path, and was very quiet on the phone. No one uses the dirt there anyway since the asphalt path is just below it. Yeah that's an easy decision for bicyclists. And for runners without trail shoes for that matter. The boathouse had people renting canoes, buying ice cream, one two year old girl run after a car down the hill (kudos to her mom for grabbing her and making it clear she can't do that but not grabbing her forcefully and not screaming her head off), and me buying a Gatorade G2 since I was running out of water. I know now exactly where the Capital Crescent Trail ends so I can expand my running / occasionally biking exploits.

Third Stop: Rich parts of NW. Reservoir Road, Georgetown Hospital, Wisconsin Ave and S Street Safeway, and California Avenue were on the docket. Random thoughts: The German Embassy looks like an apartment complex from the 1970s but where the builders forgot to take down the support pillars. The French Embassy looks like a Metro or other train station. There were three dudes sitting outside the Myanmar Embassy for whatever reason, I wasn't about to ask. The Venezuelan Embassy is a humble brick colonial house. Yeah I had to go to the Safeway to get some more Gatorade to stay hydrated.

Fourth Stop: Dumbarton Park. A nice little oasis in an area that I will never live in, nor could I afford to. Tiny little trail run interrupted by a very big tree. Stepped over the tree and kept running.

Fifth Stop: Adams Morgan. I was going to get some chicken at El Rincon but decided against it at the last minute. Went by the Jumbo slice pizza place. Sorry, not paying $5.50. Saw some cute women in one of the cafes.

Sixth Stop: Columbia Heights Target. This was a good place to end the run / walk tour. Yellow Line stop to get back home. Check. My headphones busted on the run today so I needed new ones. Check. Finally headed home. All in all a great day topped off by a ribeye steak at home. Best weather day of the summer too. Rock on.

Old 97's at 9:30 Club

I went to 9:30 Club last night for the Old 97s. Other than my buddy got caught up at a job site and couldn't make it, it was a good show. Shit happens, I wish he could have made it though, was a good show. First opening bad, the Spring Standard, was decent. Rhett Miller produced their CD FWIW. The second band was okay too, I didn't catch their name but they were from El Paso.

I enjoyed the $3 happy hour Guinness at Duke's House on U and 12th at lot more than the $8 ones at the Club. Keep in mind that if I had known my buddy was gonna have issues getting there I probably wouldn't have drank beyond the $3 beer, that was my only regret. Old 97s didn't take the stage until 9:40 or so, too late for this old 34 year old who is in bed by 11 unless he has plans to be out. They put on a good show though. Very fast paced, not a lot of in between songs banter, sounded like seasoned pros.

I hadn't been to 9:30 in a while but now I have a better idea of what to expect when I go there next. The club didn't really get packed until 9 or so, between 8 and 9 no one really came through the doors. IF I so see Squeeze, I now know not to get there until 8:30 at the absolute earliest. Doors open at 7:30, I really don't need to see Spring Standard again (nothing against them but I can use that hour sleeping or doing other stuff). I stand wherever the crew does but try to stay away from the immediate front for many reasons.

Sargeant Stadanko, Sister Mary Elephant, and Dave are back - Far Out Man!

Cheech and Chong are reuniting for a tour. Just another thing for me to spend precious money on should they visit DC. Far Out Man! This would be worth going to though. I need to find an old vinyl record player so I can play Black Sabbath at 78 Speed! Maybe Dave will have one. Dave! Who? Dave's not here.

Trail run was a ton of fun, even if my hamstrings didn't cooperate

The run went for about 5 miles or so, maybe slightly more. Great trail, some small climbs and drops but nothing daunting, it's tough for me to describe the feeling out being out there other than it rocks. Mostly shaded trail, which in this morning's hazy, hot, humid sun was very much appreciated. The one and only drawback, I did stop and walk for a bit because my legs felt very heavy and tired, especially the hamstrings. It's usually the quads that feel heavy first but the hamstrings felt like 20 pound weights so I took it really easy at the end. I even stopped for a few minutes to take the view of the woods all in, seeing as I needed a couple minutes to rest and I don't get out on the trails much anymore.

All and all an excellent day. I did have the same issue as last weekend in Rockville with shorts falling down as I lose a couple pounds of water weight during the run, even with the Camelback for drinking water this happens on hazy/hot/humid days. That's a good reason to have shorts falling a bit though, the temporary and hopefully permanent weight drop I've experienced this year. If it means I can't wear these shorts running anymore, that's fine I can donate them somewhere.

Now it's time for rest, dinner, a little bit of further stretching (especially the hamstrings), and trying not to stress over the latest Red Sox garbage. The rest is needed because from last Sunday to today, here is my workout schedule:

Last Sun / Mon / Tue: Spinning class, with weights work on Sun and think Tue. 8 miles plus run on Thursday with a nasty hill, tough run on Friday, spin class and race last night, trail run today. BTW, I was happy with the first half of my race last night, not the second half as I really started to sag a bit. over time of about 55:05, which is fine in that heat and humidity. No challenging the 50 minute barrier until it's a lot cooler.

Losing my Smartrip Card, and Running Update

Okay, jackass who took my Metro card from the shuttle bus: you only got a free ride because I didn't get to the office in time to call and get my card cancelled. I admit to being careless in losing it on a five minute shuttle ride, so I'm not blameless. But stealing someone else's card from your own apartment complex, that's so teenage wannabe gangsta. I just wish I could see the look on your face when you tried using the card in the afternoon to find it cancelled! Sort of busted.

Running update: A coworker and I went for a post-work run. Coworker has 20 years in the USMC, so an easy jog it ain't. It's a struggle, but one I'm glad I went through when it was done. I think running at platoon pace or faster will help me become a better, stronger runner. I do know I should add more sprints to my training. That would definitely help me push through the end of races.

Tonight is a 10K race in Vienna to benefit Friends of the W&OD Trail. I had committed to this before Pacers' Twilight 5K was put together so I'm forgoing post-race beer and a quick Metro jaunt to and from the race for my original commitment. It's hot today but not really close to as humid as last Saturday, that's a plus. Humidity is supposed to increase later in the day as the race approaches, a minus. I thought I'd try to make a run at finishing under 50 minutes (my PR is 51:36) but that isn't realistic, so I'm going to make a best effort and see where it takes me.

Another wrinkle into the race is I went to a spinning class this morning. Spin plus race, haven't done that in that order since I started running somewhat seriously. I did spin after running a 5K once, but this is a new level of challenge. I'm up to it. Tomorrow I'm also up for a Trail Run here. I'm maybe even more excited for that than I am for tonight's race. I get to hang out and run on trails. YEAH!

6 WEEKS TO PIKES PEAK!

My soon-to-be trip to the Amazon.com "Mall" - What should I get?

Amazon.com is still doing very well for itself, I guess. I don't think I've been to that site more than a half dozen times in its existance. But I got a $40 gift certificate for my birthday so I will need to shop there soon. So help me out, what I should I get from Amazon? I'll really find out if is is really a "Mall" but without the foot traffic, parking lots, and yuppie mall rats that I can live without (I'm very proud to say that in four years of living in Denver, I only set foot in the yuppieish Cherry Creek Mall once, and that was only because I needed to get to a store for my cell phone provider and there was an event downtown that prevented me from going to that one).

What should I get at Amazon? The only thing I can say I really need is a new wallet. I needed a new coffee maker but I got that at an in-person store, I do not have the time to make an extra trip anywhere because a carafe busted in transit from a shipper. I have plenty of running shoes, don't know if they even sell clothes (I can always use new business causal pants), and definitely don't need anymore gadgets. Maybe I'll get the Led Zeppelin re-issued with new songs "The Song Remains The Same" double CD that I wanted to get at Circuit City. Back in the old days, that was my favorite double tape to play while driving through the New Hampshire mountains. Maybe I'll find the litte battery powered radio I've been looking for, Walgreens doesn't sell the $5 ones anymore. Or maybe I'll hold onto it until I actually need something. That sounds like a good deal to me.

Unless someone has a suggestion for me. Hey, Seattle's 90 miles from the Canadian Borders. Maybe they have an alcohol license and can ship me some Alexander Keith. Or am I getting away from efforts to drink even less than I do now, which ain't much, to save money?

Run went pretty well, considering the heat

Well, the race was delayed 10 minutes because of something called code black, i.e. it's quite dangerous to run with the humidity levels. So it started when the sun was completely down. The first mile was my best mile out of the almost five in this 8K. I tend to start out very quickly (for me) with the adrenaline and/or desire to get a bit ahead of the large pack of people. A lot of them will pass me but oh well. My first mile was 7:45, which for me is very good. This race had a couple small rolling hills, and we ran through the Montgomery College campus too. It was VERY humid so I slowed down a bit to make sure I wouldn't overheat.

All in all a good effort, 42:22, about 2 minutes behind my personal record, but very good considering the conditions. Yeah, even after 9 pm it was still like running in an oven with more moisture. But that's cool, and I kept my shorts up too! Well, I had to pull them up a bit twice to avoid a potential embarrassment. But that's a blessing in disguise because I need to tighten the same shorts that I would have had more issues fitting into them comfortably six months ago. I'm down 15-20 pounds since January 1, and hope to drop a couple more before my big hike in September, while doing some weight training as well.

For today, no running, taking the workout inside as it's miserably hot. 30 minutes on the stair climber, then a spin class. But beforehand, I need to get a new coffee maker. Mine's over two years old, and it seems to take 15-20 minutes just to brew coffee for me. So I'm going to Wal-Mart (which I VERY RARELY DO) to use a birthday card that was given to me in...........2006. I'll be so stressed out from fighting the crowds there that I'll work off the stress at the gym. he he

My first ever night road race

Well, it's tonight. I'm running in Rockville, should be a good time. The one drawback, Metro's doing track maintainence again so there are 36 minute delays until 7 pm. Yeah, I gotta take the 9A to Metro to Red Line at Gallery Place. I think the trains are supposed to run as normal after 7. Looking forward to another step in my racing "career".

Got $1.56 million? Wanna buy a small city?

White's City, New Mexico was basically put up for sale recently. If you had $1.56 million and wanted a small city at the exit to Carlsbad Caverns, you would have had the winning bid and hence would own your own city. Now if I had $156 million and the small city was near Taos, I'd bid.

Thunderstorms always get in the way of stuff

In my attempts to get ready for two 10 mile runs (Annapolis on August 24) and Army Ten Miler (October 5) then a half marathon (Richmond on November 15), I figured I'd go for a nice long run. And I did for quite a bit, mostly down Eisenhower Avenue, Pickett Street, and Taney Avenue, before it got too hot and I got too tired (gee Jeff could it be those beers you drank at the soccer game last night). So I walked a lot but that's cool too. Wanted to crash by the pool but by the time I got home, the sky got really dark with a ring of brighter sky around it. Nope I know it's only a short walk to the pool but I ain't gonna go outside in a thunderstorm. After two very close calls, one in Deer Creek Canyon Park, Colorado, on my 31st brithday, and a second in 2006 on Mount Washington, I go nowhere outside where there's even a half percent change of me getting hit by lightning.

So no pool, decent run, a lot of walking around Alexandria City, some exercise, a dinner at Baja Fresh, I feel okay. Now if it would only drop rain like it's threatened to for the last hour. If you're gonna keep me inside, at least warrant it. It could be a dry thunderstorm, which is one of the few things I didn't like about living in Colorado, so it could be worse.

For a more pleasant topic, I found another beer that I can drink without any side effects the next morning other than just being tired. Negra Modelo is the new addition to the all too short list, which includes:

Guinness
Flying Dog Scottish Porter
Negra Modelo

I'm all about the darker beers. If anyone actually sees this, recommend some beers that won't give me hangovers.

Brett Favre situation: not a good one all around

If you follow NFL Football and have not just crawled out from under a ten million pound rock, you know that Brett Favre wants to return to the NFL but not with the Green Bay Packers, who IMHO rightly refused his request to be released. Rumor has it that he wants to go play for the Minnesota Vikings. Yeah, Green Bay's really going to do that. If Green Bay lets him go anywhere, it will be somewhere in the AFC who the Pack won't play this season, as John Fricke and Lincoln Kennedy alluded to on Fox Sports Radio yesterday.

This is obviously a bad situation for the Packers and for Favre. His legacy is almost unparalled in today's modern sports world, you don't think that will take a Lake Michigan sized hit in a lot of people's minds if this goes on for too long? Especially if he somehow worms his way to the hated Vikings or still disliked Buccaneers? The current word is that the Packers would welcome him back as a backup to Aaron Rodgers. That will rip the team apart before the season even began.

Who else would this be not ideal for? Even if he did end up with the Vikings, I'm not convinced it would be good for them. Would Favre be an immediate improvement at the quarterback position on a team many think can make a Super Bowl run? Yes. But, as great as he has been throughout his career, he takes a lot of unnecessary risks that lead to bad interceptions. This was especially true in past years when he receiver pool was not deep. Minnesota has Bernard Berrian to stretch a defense but not a ton of talent otherwise.

Their offensive game plan needs to be: Run. Adrian Peterson. Left. Side. Run backup. Left side. Run third string RB. Left Side. Bringing in Favre would make it too tempting to throw the ball 40 plus times a game when the strengths of your team are ball control, run behind McKinnie and Hutch and defense, which will be one of the best units in the league. If I'm a Vikings fan, if you could even get over your bitter rival coming to play for you, would you not be concerned about too radical a departure from the ideal game plan for you team?

Brett, please stay retired. This isn't good for any party involved.

World Cup Getting The Boot From South Africa?

2010's World Cup is scheduled to be in South Africa. Whether or not it's actually there in 2010 has been up for debate for a while. Official word came down that FIFA President Sepp Blatter has had talks with three countries' Football Associations / Federations / yadda yadda about serving as alternate sites should something prevent South Africa from serving as host. Count me in the unsurprised camp on this one. There's been talk of security concerns since pretty much the day they were awarded the World Cup. All I hear and read is those concerns are still prevalent. A lesser concern is one of the main stadiums won't be ready for next year's Confederations Cup, a tournament of basically regional champions and the host country that is supposed to be the infrastructure tune-up for the real deal the next year. This isn't a huge deal given all the hyper, the sky is falling thoughts about Greece not having their facilities ready on time (they did when all was said and done). A significant concern is reports of a large TB outbreak that is happening at the moment. I feel for those affected by it, but if that doesn't get under control soon, it's time to give real thought to pulling the tournament in the name of preventing a potential catastrophe along the lines of thousands catching this and going back to all corners of the globe and spreading it, in many case unknowingly.

Now, let's play a guessing game. Which three countries did Mr. Blatter talk to? My educated guesses are England, Spain, and the US. Think nations with lots of facilities (i.e. stadiums) for a competition of this magnitude. Think infrastructure. FWIW, I did not put France or Germany under consideration since they hosted it so recently and didn't think they'd get an emergency tourney as a result (why did they get it again?).

JON FREAKING LESTER! AGAIN!

7-0 complete game shutout against the Yankees, in NY. Gotta love it! After walking the first two batters of the game, he dominates afterwards. No more walks, eight strikeouts, most importantly, no runs. What a great start to the big weekend series vs the hated Yanks. Thank goodness we don't get players like Johan Santana!

Happy July 4, everyone! Enjoy, drink up if you choose to, stay safe! Me, after my 8K, I get to take my car to NTB to make sure my brakes still work, then it's just baseball watching, chilling by the pool, and grillin. I'm not going to get caught in the madness, to each their own. Besides, I saw fireworks after last Friday's O's-Nationals game in DC.

Fuel 7 Hour Energy Shot - one cup of coffee

Okay, the seven hour stuff has enough caffeine that you would find in one cup of coffee. This stuff didn't make me a complete nervous fup. No more of the six hour, two cups of coffee crap. I'm going to give away the second one that I have, or have it in place of coffee in the morning. But 5-Hour Energy is still the best.

Other running notes, I am going to sign up for a half marathon tonight. Wish me luck, as of right now I have never run more than 10-11 miles in one day in my life.

Let the 5-Hour Energy Copycat Games Begin!

A week ago or so I described by addition to 5-Hour Energy bottles. Well, to make a long story short, I went to CVS during my lunch break to get an Odwalla Bar, and what do I see right next to 5-Hour Energy on the checkout counter? Copycat quick energy drinks!

Of course I had to buy a two pack of each out of curiosity. One tells of 6 Hours of Energy, the other 7. I haven't tried the latter yet, and since the bottles are at work, I don't remember the name. What I do remember is: Stay away from Extreme Energy 6-Hour Shot. One bottle allegedly has the caffeine of two cups of coffee as opposed to one for 5-Hour Energy. Way. Too. Much. Stay away, I needed to say it twice. All this drink did was make me an over-agitated, nervous, light-headed, and then flat out depressed wreck. Of course an issue with my car battery and car alarm contributed to the mayhem, but I was feeling like crap at work. All in all a day I'd rather forget. At least tomorrow's my birthday. I hope work and all is better, at least I know I'm running at night.

New grill review: well, it got rain delayed

Since my apartment complex took out the charcoal pits and grill racks, I had to go to Target to get myself a grill. Thermos brand, $15 bucks, only took my not very mechanical butt 25 minutes to put together. Got my instant charcoal, my chicken, the BBQ sauce to put on said chicken, I'm set to grill a few days worth of lunches and tonight's dinner. Right? Wrong.

I'm sure the grill will work very well when my grillin' session doesn't get rain delayed like it did tonight. To make a long story short, the storm that I thought was going to the east of my complex started arriving earlier than I thought. The wind the a bigger problem at first, to tell you the truth. But I've had too many close calls with lightning to take any chances whatsoever. I packed up the food, dumped the water I brought on the coals, and brought everything inside.

In short, the good, I have a grill that I already enjoy using. The bad, I got rain delayed and 45 minutes after I have everything in, it is just now raining. sorry, I don't like thunderstorms that don't drop any rain, this goes back to my Colorado days where this was too common of an occurence in an area that needs all the water it can get. The I'll learn, even with instant briquets, I can't just toss a bunch of them in this smaller grill, light a match, and have chicken finished in 7 minutes like I could with a flame-broiled ribeye steak on a big grill pit. Gotta wait a bit until the coals get gray and hot before really gettin' grillin'.

All in all, I can't wait to grill again next weekend.

Soccer played in the middle of a lakeside village, where's the marina with the ice cream freezer?

I flipped over to the USA-Barbados World Cup Qualifer (Yes, Spain-Italy in Euro 2008 gets top billing in my household, that's what happens when you have a major tournament quarterfinal vs a scrimmage that had an 8-0 goal advantage coming in) and what do I see?

A field that quite frankly looks like it may not even be 60 yards wide. Hell, this field makes Spartan Stadium look like a Nebraska plain. They've got some green seats put up in random spots, a couple of big video screens, and some houses that look like they are only 100 yards or probably a lot less from the grounds. No one is sitting in the seats on the TV side of the field. There's a boat stand or horse stable building behind one of the corners. Reminds me of a little lakeside village somewhere in the northeast where people go to their small summer homes. Where's the marina with the ice cream freezer?

Not quite the Braves returning to Boston

This weekend the Washington Nationals are playing a home series against the Texas Rangers, who were the Washington Senators until 1972. I saw the normal blurb about a weekend series in Express but no other acknowlegement that this series even exists from any other media source. Definitely not the 15,550 stories of the old Boston Braves returning to Boston in 1997 as the Atlanta Braves for inter-league play. Or the 3,300 old Braves fans that were in the park. That series was really nostalgic actually. I should know. I was at all three games. My next visit to Nationals Park? Next Week vs the Angels and the Orioles.

My newest addiction: 5 Hour Energy

Okay I kicked a soda habit about 8 years ago. Food prices are forcing me to give up my Gatorade addiction. I'm still addicted to coffee but I don't drink as much of it as I used to. My new addiction is 5-Hour Energy. I'm reasonably active so I need a kick from time to time. The popular canned energy drinks: Not for me, too much sugar and sodium. Not to mention that they mess up my stomach. So if I need the kick and/or extra caffiene, 5-Hour Energy is my addiction on choice. I feel a bit stronger after drinking one, it helped me complete the 9-10 miles I ran in spurts tonight. I'm prone to addictions, so I might as well be addicted to something that doesn't do a number on my stomach via carbonation and sugar. There you have it, even if it doesn't help me save money. $3.99 at 7-11, $2 at my work.

All Great Cities Must Have...

Someone, I forget exactly who but I am too lazy to look up, even on Google, said every great city has a river that runs through it. Well, maybe that dude was right. I've only lived in three cities (or Metropolitan areas if you look at it that way): Boston, Denver, and Washington, DC. All three have rivers running through them, the Charles, North/South Platte, and Potomac, respectively.

But there has to be more to cities than a river, right? I'm going to start a list of things that I think enhance the quality of cities. Just because.

Things that cities need to have:

- A River: I already talked about that, but walking or running along a river is a must do.

- Cool architecture: Boston has all the historical buildings and Victorian houses, Denver has better architecture than you think, DC iffy but Baltimore has tons of cool looking row houses. I really like Old Town Alexandria, The Fan in Richmond (next time I'm there I have to hang out near the James River) and the old part of Charleston, SC too.

- Cool statues: DC really shines here with all the monuments. I don't think I need to say anything more. Okay, I do. The Red Auerbach statue outside the Navy Memorial is priceless.

- Cool bars: I mean places where I can hang out, have a beer or two without paying ridiculous, near aged wine prices, can actually hear what people are saying, and don't have to wear $200 jackets and pants to fit in. Davis Square, Somerville and Porter Square, Cambridge are good for this, as is Lower Broadway, most of LoDo in Denver (although I avoided the clubs and the idiots that stagger out of them at closing time), and various pockets of Denver. Old Town Alexandria has it here, I can't really comment on Adams Morgan since I never make it up there, Capitol Hill has some decent places. Baltimore has tons of them in the Inner Harbor and a sufficient amount in Mount Vernon. Not to mention Fells Point. Smaller cities often offer great stuff too, and killer microbrews to boot. Case in point: Burlington, Vermont. I swear if I ever move back to New England it will be there.

- Running/biking paths: I like to run and stay fit so these are a must. Even people who think they're training for the Tour de France on the Mount Vernon trail are usually safer than some sidewalks here in DC. I can't say enough good things about running in Alexandria. Denver had more paths than I could ever go to. Boston has some, but the Minuteman trail gets way too crowded.

- A fun sports team to watch: Always a great way to stay occupied if the weather is crap or if you need something to do. I don't need to pimp Boston's teams any more than they're already pimped. As much as I can't stand the Broncos, they have an emotional grip on the rocky Mountain Region, and the Nuggets were fun to watch while I lived there. And the Avalanche will always be a great franchise, Vive Ray Bourque and Joe Sakic! Here in DC it's all about the Caps. And not just Ovechkin either. They're the team to watch in DC. While I don't have a dog in the hunt, DC United usually provides good entertainment value for the dollar at RFK Stadium. I like Nationals Park but they still have a ways to go.

- Coffee places: I like Dunks as much as the next New England born and bred person, but I like the local, independent places as much or more. Help me out here since where I work is usually near Starbucks and Caribou (which is actually pretty good).

- Restaurants: I stay close to Old Town since they're not as pricey as a lot of places in DC. There's something for everyone in the area though. I may start reviewing Fairfax County Restaurants again if food prices slow down a bit.

- Street Carts: Carlos at 16th and K in DC cooks up burritos that are restaurant quality. Best vendor ever is either him or the old sausage carts outside Fenway Park. Baltimore has good stuff near Camden Yards on game days too.

Throw some more stuff out there. What else makes a city cool?

Why I pimp Baltimore from time to time - Mount Vernon neighboorhood

Okay, I needed a place to stay for my race on Sunday since I was not about to leave DC at 5 am to drive up to Baltimore. Way too stressful, way too big of a risk of a wreck-induced traffic jam. Yeah they happen at 5:30 am on a weekend too. And would happen to me if anyone.

Enough of stress, time to talk about good stuff. I pimp Baltimore from time to time because I really enjoy visiting there. I pimp places and things I like. We'll start with the place I stayed at last Saturday evening. Abacrombie was recommended to me. Small, quaint, but very enjoyable room at a B@B right in the Cultural Center in Baltimore. AC Worked, it was peaceful, and fit right into the Cultural Center / Mount Vernon area of Baltimore.

After a hiccup with a Light Rail train being delayed because a door wouldn't close, and another hiccup caused by my misreading of a map and walking the wrong way towards the packet pickup area as a result, I returned to Baltimore with some time to wander around Mount Vernon a bit. Charles Street has a lot of things to offer, restaurants, bars, coffee places, an outdoor concert just north of Penn Station last week, and The first Washington Monument.

I really enjoyed my dinner at Aloha Tokyo, great salmon, noodles, and eel, not to mention the complementary sushi which I received extra from the staff as an opening night gift. Friendly staff always helps. It's right across from a new housing thing at 1219 Charles for Baltimore peeps. Bar opens Saturday. After dinner I explored the neighborhood areas a bit. Definitely no shortage of bars to go, the outdoor concert that I referred to, and some cool row houses. Definitely a neighborhood feel for sure, you really don't get that in most of DC. Penn Station is a ten minute walk , fifteen at the most, from the Cultural Center light rail stop. Hey look, Maryland Transportation Authority upgraded their web site!

I walked east down North Avenue a bit, stopping at the rite Aid across from "http://www.greenmountcemetery.com/">Green Mount Cemetery. While I saw a lot of boarded up houses, many with roofs alos busted, around North Avenue, I also saw a ton of potential in not only the area but the city. There's a lot to like about Baltimore, and with some capital, a lot of these boarded up houses can turn into quality housing quickly. Public transportation is not far from North Avenue at all. They say, Live Baltimore: Get in on it. Truth be told, if I could get a guarantee that my current employer will keep me around for 5-6 years (I'm a 10-15 minute walk from Union Station), I'd give moving there a real shot when my lease runs out in March. Mount Vernon has just about everything I'd want. If anyone goes to North Avenue, please let me know how Tyrone's is, it's a fried chicken place next to KFC. I couldn't eat there since I already ate dinner and wasn't about to toss fried chicken down 12 hours before a race.

How do you have a quart of water, a 20 oz SoBe Herbal Life Water, and a 12 oz Tava and STILL BE DEHYDRATED?

Easy. Run a 7 mile race very hazy, very hot, and very humid weather. This morning I ran the Survivor Harbor 7 in Baltimore. This race is to support the Active Survivors Network. I was more than honored to make even a small contribution by participating in this race. I admit that I am not a Survivor of any severe illness, disease, or injury, so I face nowhere near the challenges of living an active life that a lot of people do. Other than occasional kidney pain for 36 hours or so, every 8-10 months or so, I have no known concerns. I feel I have quite a bit of appreciation of others face challenges that I may not.

However, that does not mean that this race was not difficult for me. The toughest one for me by far in my brief racing career. I started this year, have run a couple of 8K and 10K races, 7 miles: from a distance standpoint, not a big increase. However, none of those races were run with heat indicies near and probably over 100 degrees. Yeah, it felt like it was 100 degrees or more at 8:15 am this morning. I'll browse the web for recaps but it was as hot as it's ever been when I've tried to run further than to the bus stop. That's why today's race was extremely difficult. Before the weekend, my goal was to finish this race in under one hour. After running a 5K yesterday in similar conditions, my new goal was to participate in the cause and jog the seven miles as slowly as I need to in order to finish.

Running through Fort McHenry was a real treat, when you're there you feel like a real part of American History. I had ridden my bike through there in the past, never ran. But by about mile two, when I was still running at a good clip considering the crowds and narrow, I realized that there was no trying to get doen in under an hour. But that's okay. By mile five, to be truthful, all I wanted was some ice water and to be finished, but I was not going to stop if I could still run, thinking of those who face greater struggles beyond jogging seven miles on a hot day.

I did get through the finish line at 1:07:37 clock time, maybe 1:06:00 or so Net Time, since I was quite a bit towards the back of about 1,500 runners at the start. It was tough but worthwhile. I probably looked like I was about to collapse at the end, which would be an accurate description of how I felt. A quart of water, a 20 oz SoBe Herbal Life Water, and a 12 oz Tava (similar to Enviga - sparkling water drink) but still a bit dehydrated when I got back to my B@B to check out. Won't stop me from going to the pool later to swim a bit though now that I'm back in DC. All in all a great weekend. Set a personal best in a 5K by 9 seconds on Saturday, ran for a great cause today, really enjoyed the Mount Vernon district of Baltimore (more on that later), and my cable came back from a brief crash just in time for the second half of Germany-Poland in Euro 2008. It's all good.

Okay, who is the biggest villain in sports right now?

I've been thinking of posting a poll on this for a while. I got sidetracked by the insanity at Fenway Park so I'm throwing this up quickly. Here are the choices, with a brief case for, then against:

Barry Bonds:

For - Come on, flaxseed oil? Give us a freaking break! Your head's ten times the size it was at the start of your career, and you're been a totally pompous asshole from the get go.

Against - he's not playing right now.

Kyle Busch:

For - many say he is an over-aggressive driver who doesn't give a crap what anyone thinks, he'll cause any crash he wants whenever he feels like it. he eggs on the crowd during introductions, basically telling booers to bring it. And he wins all the damn time. I'm a casual NASCAR observer, but even I know that he spun Dale Jr. into the wall at the end of a race a month ago and you just don't do that.

Against - to NASCAR detractors it's just a bunch of left turns so some people can't consider him for this poll. I, however, can, and he would get my vote if someone else wasn't on the list. Read on.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco:

For - One of the most polarizing people in the soccer world. Here's a sample of evidence:

One
Two
Three

Don't forget that he wasn't allowed to enter the United States for a while because of a charge that he beat his wife, and there was probably something else on his rap sheet too. I know fans of nearly every Major League Soccer team, and while each has their rivals, everyone save for Chicago Fire fans share one thing: hatred of him.

Against - Soccer isn't quite in the American Mainstream yet, but does that matter? People who are in the know usually hate him with the fury of 1,000 suns. He was close to getting my vote.

Alex Rodriguez:

For - He's a prima donna bitch. Plain and Simple. Going to Texas wasn't about the money, he didn't think he slapped Bronson Arroyo's glove like a 6 year old who wants her Barbie doll back in 2004, he decided to announce that he was opting out of his contract just as the Red Sox were wrapping up a World Series title. The biggest phony of them all, he's the pick for me. On principle.

Against - Has he ever come through when he's really needed?

Scott Boras:

For - he was the one who leaked the opt out of contract garbage.

Against - he did eventually let Varitek and Dice-K sign their contracts.

Bill Belichick:

It pains me to put him on this list, but in order to have a shred of objectivity I have to. The taping of signals thing, I'm over it, it cost the Pats a key first round pick, caused the organization some embarrassment, let's move on. Besides, even after the tape from the Jets game got confiscated, the Pats did pretty well last season.

Kobe Bryant:

For - selfish, the rape charge that was dropped. Dubious as it was, those things usually surface for a reason. A me guy for sure. Even if we'll never know the truth, he put himself in the position to be accused of it.

Against - to his credit he has let his play on the court do the talking for him, has stayed out of trouble, and let's face it, he's probably the best player in the world today.

Sean Avery:

For - an annoying little puke who borderline cheap shots opposing players at will, felt the need to wave a stick in Marty Brodeur's face to try and screen him, allegedly made a callous remark about Jason Blake's battle with cancer in pregame warmups (never proven, as with Kobe officially it's innocent until proven guilty but again these things surface for a reason). Just an obnoxious little punk.

Against - he is effective, and does back up his talk with solid contributions for his team. Occasionally he'll drop his gloves and fight his own battles too.

Terrell Owens:

For - where to I begin. Dancing on the Star in Dallas after scoring a touchdown. The Sharpie incident. The entire saga of him doing curls in his driveway when he was pissed off at the Eagles about his contract. The whole I want to be traded to Baltimore but I don't to go there so trade me to Philly ordeal.

Against - T.O. bashing is so a few years ago. And when he does play, be plays balls to the wall hard. No loafing from him. Coming back from the broken leg in two plus months to have a solid game in the Super Bowl. Yeah, he's good.

Someone else.

Fire away.

The heat is here. Finally. But I'm thrilled about it. Not.

The 90 degree plus heat that's supposed to be here from Friday through at least Monday came a day early. Or at least it felt like it. I was miserable when walking back to my work building after lunch. Don't think I'll be walking outside every day at lunch much longer. Just too hot and humid. It wasn't quite as hot when I went for an 8 miles or so run (1/2 with my group) but I could really feel the humidity. Must. Keep. Water. Bottles. Full. Food's getting too expensive for me to buy a lot of Gatorade.

I get home, chug some water, work my abs a bit, turned on my mlb.com radio subscription , then found out all hell has broken loose at Fenway Park. In the last 24 hours, here is what has gone down.

1. Last night, bottom of 6th: Coco Crisp tries to steal second base, Tampa Bay Rays Shortstop Jason Bartlett drops his knee in front of the base to block it and jams Coco's thumb. Not only is that a no no in the baseball code, it's a good way to get your knee really damaged, dipshit.

2. Eighth inning, Coco tries to steal again, slides hard and knocks over second baseman Akinori Iwamura. Rays pissed off, manager climbs up the dugout steps and yells at Coco, who yells back at the Rays.

3. Tonight, 1st inning, Dustin Pedroia gets hurt. I didn't see it (unlike last night) so I don't know if it was intentional but given last night and Pedroia's knack for pissing off opponents, you wonder.

4. 2nd inning, Jon Lester throws behind Tampa's Aybar. Bottom of inning, James Shields plunks Coco Crisp on the first pitch. Coco charges, not so nice little brawl, Tampa's Johnny Gomes jumps into a pile and punches Coco, all three players ejected. Not really what either team needed but good on Coco for taking a bunch for the team. MLB.com had the fight tape up pretty quickly.

5. 4th inning, Jacoby Ellsbury makes a diving catch but jams his wrist in the process. Coco, appeal your suspension.

6. End of fourth inning, Youk and Manny need to be separated in the dugout. Reports so far are no one seems to know what was going on.

7. 7th inning, Jon Lester throws high and tight to Cliff Floyd. After he strikes out, Floyd startes at Lester all the way into the dugout. Lester wisely ignored him according the the Sox radio broadcast team.

In the Nationals game, a middle reliever for the Cardinals hit a three run homerun in his first major league at bat. Some guy name Mark Worrell, I wonder if he's related to Todd and Tim.

And oh yeah, the Celtics are playing their first NBA finals game in 21 years right now.

Nasty Storms Today

Stay safe all. That was some scary ass shit today. Took a late lunch so here I am sitting outside at 3 pm to get some air. The sky is a bit yellow to the east of me (near Capitol Hill) side, dark on the west side, albeit of the you've got 15 minutes to duck variety. Nope. I was under a roof, but I had about 90 seconds before I saw sideways blowing rain, rain that got pushed through the building ramps like it was on a whirlpool, lightning to top it off. Yeah, no soccer game at RFK Stadium for me.


Cirucumstance influences my rating. I was driving on BW Parkway when the storms ran through the metro area on Saturday. From what I saw, I give Saturday's the worst, i.e. nastiest grade. Heavier rain then, believe it or not. But I can only rank the parts of the storms that I saw. I understand a tornado touched down near Fredericksburg, VA and also in Huntingtown, MD. I have never seen a tornado, and hope I never see one.

I lucked out today, a report from the National Weather Service mentioned that a trained spotter saw a tornado touch down in Huntington, Fairfax County. That's exactly where I live. Shit. Luckily, I walked home from the Metro Station and didn't see more than one branch down. Whew. I saw quite a few while walking from work to the Metro.

Stay safe everyone, thoughts go out to those who sustained property damage today.

On a lighter note, send me some ideas on what I can write about.

Highs near 90 on Sat and Sun

Means 70s at 8 am most likely, maybe I should rethink going for a personal record in Saturday's Race. Sunday is up in Baltimore for the Survivor Harbor 7 mile race. Anticipate heat but fun.

Interesting Torrential Downpour Tonight

I decided to get some more mileage in running wise so I ran the 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 miles to Pacers for the Tuesday fun run. No rain, but threatening clouds that looked like they were coming our way but I couldn't tell for sure. I get to the store at 6:55, run starts around 7:05, and the skies opened up and then some. Running in the rain is a blast actually, unless there are leaves on the ground, then it becomes outright dangerous. But the trouble with the rain is it all too often comes with lightning. Luckily that stayed away until the run was over.

5.4 miles, heaviest rain at the beginning and end of the run. Close to ten miles overall. I thank my friend Pat for giving me a ride home as waiting for the bus with lightning being around is not fun. Or safe. And there really isn't a place to wait inside for the bus stop, the only place you can see it come is from the Cosi which I think closes at 8.

I'm a hurting dude, but a good kind of hurting. No problem sleeping tonight whatsoever. The extra mileage is giving me confidence that I can handle 10 milers and a half marathon later in the year. And allowing me to meet some great people. And allow me to lose 15 pounds since the beginning of the year and maybe a few more to come. And improve my overall Outlook.

Get Well Soon, Big Papi.

Manny. 500. History. I. Was. There.

Red Sox - Orioles at Camden Yards, the one weekend series of the year, of course I was going to see two games. Saturday I leave for my hotel around 1:45 pm. While I was running near the George Washington Parkway earlier on, I was warned about a nasty thunderstorm that was near Leesburg. I said, crap I got about two hours to get home (still 30-40 minutes away at least), shower, change, eat lunch, and get on the road. I made it, but only got as far as Pennsylvania Avenue before the skies opened up. And holey moely did it pour. Heavy rains, nasty lightning, almost stop and go conditions to just south of Fort Meade. I would have pulled over on two occasions had there been a place to pull over. Finally get to my hotel to find out they may not have a room for me for over an hour. Luckily, they had one.

Off to the game, met some cool Sox fans who came down from Connecticut for the games this weekend. Hung out with some other fans at the Wharf Rat on Pratt Street. Made it into the game just as it started. Going into the game, Manny Ramirez was sitting on 499 home runs. Only 23 other players in the history of Major League Baseball had even hit 500 home runs in Major League Baseball. So as soon as Manny strode to the plate, all the Sox fans in attendance rose to cheer, camera bulbs went off with each pitch. The game went back and forth for several innings.

The the seventh the Sox took the lead for good at 4-3. Baltimore brought in Chad Bradford, a right handed pitcher who throws submarine style, almost underhand. Would this be the moment we were there for? Submarine pitchers tend to dominate or get shelled. Pitch number one.......

BOOM!!!!! Deep right center field, no doubt about it, 500!!!! The crowd went nuts, truly a moment that sent chills up my spine. An unbelieveable moment that I will never forget. And I saw it in person. As soon as I figure out how to scan my ticket stub, I'll post it here. Wow. Things got a little dicey in the bottom of the ninth, but Papelbon got a lineout double play, 6-3 win.

Jumped on to a light rail train with 1000 others, got some late night Wendy's (which I only have in emergencies), and made it to my hotel in just enough time to flip channels and see Kimbo Slice fight in a Mixed Martial Arts fight. Of course, CBS is putting Gus Johnson on the broadcast to liven it a bit. Quality entertainment while I was chugging water to lessen the hangover that was coming.

Sunday's game was fun too, 9-4 cruise to a win. Bartolo Colon won his third straight game since being called up, (sign him for another year, Theo!) showing a bit more velocity than I expected this early into his comeback. Bullpen was solid, especially Craig Hansen, whose eighth inning was dynamite. 8 pitches, 2 Ks, 1-2-3, 7 of 8 for strikes. As nasty as I've seen him throw in his career. Drive home was uneventful, which was good since my plates had expired the day before and I had nothing to use to put on the new ones.

It's all good. In person I've seen a 3 Home Run Game by John Valentin, Yaz Day in 1983, Scott Hatteberg hitting a grand slam and into a triple play in the same games, John Valentin go 5 for 5, all three games of the Atlanta Braves' first visit to Fenway since leaving Boston, a walk off home run by Spike Owen of all people, the game where Orel Hershiser's 63 scoreless innings streak started in Montreal.....but this was the best in person memory by far. I still can't believe I got to go and see number 500. I want to see 600 now.

Do other states do this?

Okay, when it came time to renew my car registration after two years, I decided to pay an extra $10 for a theme plate. I chose Mountain to Sea since well, I dunno, maybe I wanted something that shows the entire state that I live in. There are mountains and an ocean. Or did I not want a plain plate anymore, especially since the 400th anniversary celebration was last year? That was probably it. But I was surprised to get my plates last week to find out I have a different license plate number. Shoot. I finally memorized the one I had so I don't have to go back outside when I get asked to fill out my plate number at hotels or wherever. Now I have another number to memorize. And my registration says something about submitting a title. Yeah, that thing I just got last week, a year after I paid off the car loan.

Old School Town Halls, Harpers Ferry, and Trail Conservation

The last few weeks have been crazy busy, and the weekends even busier. Three Saturday's ago my friend Stevan celebrated a birthday at McCathran Hall in Washington Grove, MD. This was a great day with some bluegrass music, some good Honey Brown beer, and the hall is the old town hall that is still used more than 100 years later! The town website describes itself as a town within a forest. Which it really is. Remember the small, sometimes but usually not paved, roads at summer campgrounds! This was Washington Grove. The coolest thing after seeing friends and celebrating the day was this house that had a tree going straight through the front porch. No a thunderstorm didn't knock the tree through the roof. The porch was built literally around the tree, and the tree pops through the roof.

After that was a birthday dinner for a friend from the Pacers Fun Run group - these are becoming common and fun. Old Town is always a good place to go. We ended up at Union Street Public House because Chadwick's was too crowded. Always a good time, and I could even go to the gym the next day! That's quite an accomplishment after a night on the town at my age. he he

Harpers Ferry was on the docket for the Memorial Day weekend. The MARC Train was a half hour late in leaving, the walk to the hostel was interesting since the C&O Towpath beat up the wheels on my travel case, but everything else was okay. Lots of hiking led to a sore ankle for a day or two afterwards, but that happens when you hike 35 miles or so over two days after not hiking for months. The view from Weverton Cliffs, MD was a bit of a disappointment, and the ice cream shop ran out of waffle cones on Sunday. But calling those things negatives is really grasping at straws. A fun weekend all around, and the Amtrak ride was suprisingly comfortable on the way back.

I also joined the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. I believe in doing whatever I can to clean up the environment for current and future enjoyment and health, and being a member is the least I can do. I used to be a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club back in Boston so I sort of feel like I'm back in that groove. It's a good feeling.

More on this past week and weekend when I get the time to write it up right, likely tomorrow night.